More than 200 DILG officers and presidents of Liga ng mga Barangay from all over Central Visayas gather in a regional forum on federalism organized by the Department of Interior and Local Government. (CDN PHOTO/VICTOR ANTHONY V. SILVA)
The Department of Interior and Local Government in Central Visayas (DILG-7) on Saturday kicked off discussions at the barangay level on the proposed federal system of government through a regional forum held in a hotel in Cebu City on Saturday.
DILG Cebu Provincial Director Jerome Gonzales said this was necessary to prepare the barangays should the proposed change in government push through.
“If this pushes through, if this is legislated, a plebiscite will decide. We don’t want that day to come without barangays knowing what (federalism) is,” he told Cebu Daily News at the sidelines of the DILG’s regional forum.
Present during the forum were more than 200 DILG officers as well as presidents of Liga ng mga Barangay from towns and cities in Cebu, Bohol, and Siquijor.
Gonzales said the forum was only meant to open up more discussions at the grassroots level as the league presidents were expected to echo what they learned to their constituents.
He added that DILG officers in the region, after having undergone a similar forum last month, were also tasked to lead discussions on federalism at the barangay level.
Among the national government officials present were Interior Undersecretaries Emily Padilla and John Catriciones as well as Technical Educations and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) Secretary Guiling Mamondiong.